Anti-Syngenetic Ice Wedge

Definition

An ice wedge that grows progressively downward into a receding slope and in a direction perpendicular to the surface is called anti-syngenetic ice wedge.

Ice wedges or cracks in ground ice are generally classified into two main types: epigenetic and syngenetic. Epigenetic wedges grow wider rather than deeper whereas syngenetic wedges grow both wider and deeper more or less simultaneously. Field studies show that there is a third type, an anti-syngenetic wedge, which grows downward on receding slopes in a direction normal to the slope.